Toyota: advice on 12v battery maintenance

[AisinW]

23 minutes ago, Parts-King said:

The number of requests I get here for blown main fuses, the general public should not be let anywhere near jump starting their car, the majority don't have a scooby doo, poking about not knowing what they are doing

Customer: Can i have a main fuse please?

Me: Have you jump started it the wrong way round?

Customer: Oh no, it just blew

Me: ..........................................................tumbleweed

 

 

The main fuse will blow up no matter where you stick it if it is on opposite polarity. EVen in classic 1990s car, you can burn down the car.   That's why we must make sure using Smart Charger or Smart jump starter that will not deliver current when you charge on opposite polarity. 

[Roy124]

Nostalgia again. My first car had two fuse.  If you removed one fuse and pushed it back in the bridged both the original clips and also the adjacent fuse clips the ignition became live. Reach below to the starter motor and press the rubber coated button.  Bingo, no keys. 

I don't think it had a starter handle though. 

 

[Cyker]

You'll have to ask DevonAygo for more details as he is the source of the advice about not recommending using the [+] post in this forum. Since he actually works for a dealer I assume he knows something we don't!

Unless someone can find a circuit diagram to see how it's all connected it's all just speculation.

I'm under the impression there isn't a direct connection from the [+] to the Battery, and that it goes through the power electronics or something, which might be why it's not recommended.

 

[robo1]

Has a reply to this topic been deleted ?  Received an email saying there was a new reply but unable to see it.

[FROSTYBALLS]

6 minutes ago, robo1 said:

Has a reply to this topic been deleted ?  Received an email saying there was a new reply but unable to see it.

A response has been subject to moderation.

[Catlover]

3 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

A response has been subject to moderation.

Oooh!  Could you do that to soon Russian gentleman (gentleman used very loosely).

[robo1]

Thanks for the explanation. Had assumed there would have been a deleted / moderated comment as you see with other forums ( or is it fora? )
 

[DavidinDerbyshire]

I am not sure where the latest consensus on this topic is but when purchasing my Rav 4 hybrid from Vertu Toyota in Chesterfield a couple of weeks ago we were told...and shown...by a salesman that all the cars in their showroom are tricklecharged overnight and he demonstrated how the charger is attached to the Battery under the bonnet and this was on a new Phev. The Battery is almost concealed by fuses and stuff but there is a contact there and the other goes to a metal lifting point nearby.   I was flabbergast, to be honest, because when we first had a hybrid, a Yaris, my understanding was that it was risky using an external charger and so when we went to Spain in the motorhome for six weeks a neighbour ran the engine intermittently. It would be helpful to get an authentic Toyota view for all models with advice on how to do it safely. 

[IanML]

The risk arises only if a very old "non-intelligent" charger is used.  Modern chargers, such as a CTEK or NOCO are perfectly safe, as they monitor the Battery state,  reduce the charging voltage accordingly as the charge approaches the 100% mark and stop charging when it gets there.

I use a CTEK MSX5, and have never had a problem.

[Steve_w]

Various thoughts on this, my local garage told me to just use a trickle charger.  The more extreme option is to keep the engine on for about one hour periodically as it’s the hybrid that charges the 12v Battery.  Depending on time if year once the engine is warm it will power off for most of the time

[Owleyes]

I had a 2017 Yaris Hybrid and never had any problems with the 12v Battery losing its charge, even though I only drive around 3,000 miles per year. In May 2021 I upgraded to the latest version Yaris. It is a lovely car but in February 2022, after standing in my garage for 5 days, it failed to start due to a discharged 12v Battery. A quick call to Toyota Recovery resulted in an AA technician arriving to give me a jump start. He advised me to run the car in "Ready Mode" for an hour every week or so to prevent anymore problems. Also said that I should get my Yaris checked by my dealer. I did this and they found no problems but they did sell me a smart Battery charger. So far I haven't had to use the battery charger but have followed the "Ready Mode" advice. No 12v battery problems since but feel that this is a problem that Toyota should be looking into considering the many reports from others having the same problem.

[Cyker]

I found out something silly today - The DING DING DING for "You've taken your seat belt off while the door is open!" is the same as the DING DING DING for "You've left your lights on!"

Yes, my car was left parked with its sidelights on ALL DAY  

When I got back to it I unlocked it, started it up and drove off.

(No that's it, Battery was fine   )

[Dala]

.

[Dala]

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[Roy124]

54 minutes ago, Dala said:

.

Am I missing something?

[Dala]

comment error - cannot be deleted, sorry

[Marred]

Hi can I ask some advice, I am going to be getting my new Yaris Cross in a few weeks and have been reading the posts on using the “ready mode” to charge the Battery once or twice a week to keep it topped up. Do you have to press the stop/start button whilst doing this operation, is it best to switch off the radio, air conditioning while this is being done also can anyone advise of anything else. 
 

Thanks in anticipation for any help

[AisinW]

Procedure for maintaining HV and 12V Battery when in storage for months. It is official USA government website for TSB, Safety recalls, etc. for any cars sold there. Many of them are relevant to Europe Toyota too. I am not sure if we have such open data in Europe 

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10154807-9999.pdf

[Saxmaniac]

Here's an interesting video on a mechanic working on a Tesla, I thought the bit of the cooling system you see replaced is the most horrible cheap components so I hope all electric vehicles end up better made than that. I suppose these things are seen as disposable, they're only cheap after all 🤣

 

[sproutdreamer]

Is it possible to trickle charge via the cigar lighter socket say @2 amps rather than having to lift the bonnet. I am thinking about my wife doing this if I am away? I assume I can get such a trickle charger and rig up a plug in connector.

[KWr]

I bought from "Amazon", a "Solar panel" charger.

Produced by the "AA" sells for £23 back in 2022

The Panel is about 8" × 12".You rest it on the top of your Dash board, plug it into the provided socket in your Dashboard and any source of light,trickle charges your Battery.

I use mine whenever I leave the car at the airport at least 14 dsys,Summer or Winter and the car has always started 1st time.

I have also used it when my car has been left for a fortnight in my Garage ( Window in Garage wall).No problems on my return.Just follow the simple instructions provided.

It lives in my Car boot, always available. 

[robo1]

Is the cigar lighter socket live when the car is switched off ? 
One option is to connect the solar panel to the OBD port which remains live. 

[Graham47]

1 minute ago, robo1 said:

Is the cigar lighter socket live when the car is switched off ? 

No.

1 minute ago, robo1 said:

One option is to connect the solar panel to the OBD port which remains live. 

That’s how these solar chargers work, they come with an OBD port connector or crocodile clips for that purpose.

[KWr]

The AA solar panel only comes with a fixed plug connection which plugs into the socket used by the mechanics/technicians to plug in engine management reader's.

[dannyboy413]

2 hours ago, KWr said:

the socket used by the mechanics/technicians to plug in engine management reader's.

That is the OBD socket. The AA solar charger I bought has the OBD plug and crocodile clips, so either can be used.